Defense is the Bulls’ calling card, and unless they find a way to turn up the intensity, this series will be a short one.

Points in the paint

If you are like me, you cringed throughout most of Game 1 because of the ease in which the Nets were able to take it to the Bulls down low.

How bad was it for Chicago inside the painted area?

It was brutal, to say the least, as the Nets pounded the Bulls 56-36 while connecting on 28-of-38 of their shot attempts from close range.

That is simply unacceptable for a team that prides itself on forcing its opponents to settle for the mid-range perimeter shots.

If the Bulls are going to have any success going forward, they will have to defend the paint with a greater sense of urgency.

Slow down Deron Williams and Brook Lopez

While the Nets had six players who scored in double figures in Game 1, Williams and Lopez did the most damage.

Williams recorded 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting to go along with seven assists and three steals. The Bulls had a difficult time containing the former Illini star as he either blew by defenders for easy baskets or created scoring opportunities for his teammates.

He’s a good player. He had a good night tonight, but it’s one of those things. I play hard, I battle, so I’m just looking at it as I had a bad game tonight. We lost one, but we’ll bounce back next game.

I often give Deng a pass when he has a bad game because he does so much for the team every night.

Nevertheless, he has to find a way to have an impact because the Bulls will not win this series if the team’s leading scorer is rendered ineffective.

In the final analysis, the Bulls were manhandled in Game 1 without question, but the good news is that a series is never decided after just one game.

However, if the Bulls do not come out with a much greater effort in Game 2, they will find themselves down 0-2, a position that will be next to impossible for them overcome.